Monday, May 17, 2010

Continental and United airlines are likely to be merged and this has become a cause of worry for the business and civic leaders as they fear the time and money that they will have to pay for the reduced flights. United airline’s board have approved the merger along with Continental directors votes expected which would eventually lead to the announcement of the deal soon.

"I would wager that we have lawyers on airplanes in and out of Cleveland every day of the week," said Jeff Healy, chairman of the trial department at Tucker Ellis & West, a local firm that handles cases in almost every state. "Reduced service and nonstops would just mean time and possible frustration.” Tucker Ellis has installed life-sized videoconferencing systems in all its offices to help cut travel costs. "But there's only so much you can do remotely," Healy said. "Oftentimes you have to be in their court."

"A lot of our customers and a lot of our locations are in mid-sized to smaller-sized cities, and the regional service here has been outstanding for us," Christopher -who heads Alcoa's operations in Cleveland- said. "Nonstops are incredibly important because it makes the travel substantially more time efficient and more predictable."

Hopkins has a total of 72 nonstop destinations and 250 average daily departures. That is down from 90 nonstops and 330 daily departures before Continental and other carriers cut capacity because of the recession and high fuel prices. But it still has direct flights to most major business destinations.

Sam Bradford’s professional practice at rookie minicamp was flooded with 40 assorted reporters, TV cameramen – ESPN and local TV station and photographers. However, the next day was comparatively close to normalcy. Friday's overflow media crowd had dwindled to a decidedly more intimate gathering of eight reporters preventing it from turning into an out-of-control circus.Bradford's future is tied in directly to the future of this organization and is being studiously orchestrated from the very start by coach Steve Spagnuolo , who , definitely has a plan for Bradford'sdevelopment, that will ultimately help Bradford take over as the starting QB .

"When Sam got in here on Thursday, I sat him down and told him there are three structures in this league when it comes to developing a quarterback, and I've studied them all and they all work," Spagnuolo said . "I told Sam he won't hear quarterback stuff from me. It will be the little things that I talk to you about. I will tell him things like how to get the team in and out of the huddle with the sound of your voice," Spagnuolo said

A year ago, James Laurinaitis was in the role of rookie (defensive) quarterback and there was a careful plan that helped prepare him to move into the starter's role and now Laurinaitis becomes the template for Bradford.

"Now I have no idea when that moment will be for Sam," Spagnuolo said. "I don't know if we'll feel that way during the fourth OTA or if it will be the fourth quarter of the 12th game of the regular season."